Asia Audiobooks | History

The Pacific Theater in 1944: The History of the Decisive Campaigns that Contributed to the Allies’ V

"The powerful forces of the United States Navy (USN), Marine Corps, and Army advanced inexorably against Imperial Japan in 1944. Following massive interdiction of Japanese merchant shipping by American submarines and multiple naval victories, the Americans stood poised to liberate the Philippines, then move on to locations closer to the Japanese home islands. In early 1944, arguments raged over the best approach to the “strategic triangle” created by Formosa, Luzon, and China. Finally, on March 12th, the Joint Chiefs of Staff – consisting of Admirals William D. Leahy and Ernest J. King, and Generals George C. Marshall and Henry H. “Hap” Arnold - issued a directive picking the next target: “[T]he most feasible approach to the Formosa-Luzon-China area is by way of Marianas-Carolines-Palau-Mindanao area, and that the control of the Marianas-Carolines-Palau area is essential to the projection of our forces into the former area, and their subsequent effective employment therefrom.” The Americans' plans focused on three islands near the southern end of a 15-island, north to south aligned island chain: Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. These islands, relatively large, offered space for the construction of large air bases within strategic bomber range of Japan itself, as well as closer targets. The Japanese also recognized the strategic importance of the Mariana Islands, and Saipan in particular, given its location just 1,272 miles from Tokyo itself. This would place the Japanese capital well within the 3,250 mile range of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. With these facts in their possession and the Marianas as one of the Americans' most logical next choices, the Japanese worked to move both reinforcements and materials for new fortifications to the southern Marianas in early 1944. With that, the stage was set for the kind of deadly amphibious operations that would take place not only on the Marianas but also Iwo Jima and Okinawa after it. "

Charles River Editors (Author), Elias Anderson (Narrator)

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The Korean War: A Historical Examination of One of the Most Important Conflicts in Modern Times

"Are you looking to gain a better understanding of one of the most important conflicts in modern times? Look no further! This book provides an examination of the Korean War, including its causes, key players, and lasting legacy. From the invasion of South Korea by North Korea to the armistice that ended hostilities in 1953, this book covers all aspects of this conflict. You will learn about its diplomatic and military history, as well as how it shaped international relations for decades to come. 'The Korean War: A Historical Examination of One of the Most Important Conflicts in Modern Times' This book is a great starter for anyone interested in learning more about the Korean War and its impact on our world today. Don’t wait any longer! Get your copy today!"

Will Forrest (Author), Andrew Cooper (Narrator)

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Korean War: A Short Overview of Origins, Tactics, and Outcomes of a War That Shaped History

"Welcome to the Korean War: A Short Overview of Origins, Tactics, and Outcomes of a War That Shaped History. This book provides an insightful look into one of the most pivotal wars in modern history. The Korean War. The Korean War was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea that lasted from 1950 to 1953. It was fought on the Korean Peninsula with both sides backed by powerful allies including the United States, China, and the Soviet Union. This war had far-reaching implications for international politics and left deep scars on both countries. In this book, readers will get an overview of the origins, tactics, and outcomes of this devastating war. We’ll explore how it started and why it became so important in world affairs. We’ll also look at how different nations became involved in the conflict and how their strategies led to certain outcomes. Finally, we’ll examine how this war shaped history and its lasting impact on global affairs today. This book will give you a better understanding not only of what happened during this conflict but also of why it still matters today. So don’t miss out! - Get your copy now to gain valuable insight into one of history’s most influential wars!"

Days Of History (Author), Theo Dawson (Narrator)

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Never Turn Back: China and the Forbidden History of the 1980s

"On a hike in January 1984, Deng Xiaoping was warned that his path was a steep and treacherous one. 'Never turn back,' the Chinese leader replied. That became a mantra as the government forged ahead with reforms in the face of heated contestation over the nation's future. But deliberation came to a sudden halt in spring 1989, with protests and purges, massacre and repression. Since then, Beijing has worked intensively to suppress the memory of this era of openness. Julian Gewirtz recovers the debates of the 1980s, tracing the Communist Party's diverse attitudes toward markets, state control, and sweeping technological change, as well as freewheeling public argument over political liberalization. After Tiananmen, however, Beijing systematically erased these discussions of alternative directions. Using newly available Chinese sources, Gewirtz details how the leadership purged the key reformist politician Zhao Ziyang, quashed the student movement, recast the transformations of the 1980s as the inevitable products of consensus, and indoctrinated China and the international community in the new official narrative. Never Turn Back offers a revelatory look at how different China's rise might have been and at the foundations of strongman rule under Xi Jinping, who has intensified the policing of history to bolster his own authority."

Julian Gewirtz (Author), Rick Adamson (Narrator)

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We Uyghurs Have No Say: An Imprisoned Writer Speaks

"The words of China's most famous political prisoner In Xinjiang, the large northwest region of China, the government has imprisoned more than a million Uyghurs in reeducation camps. One of the incarcerated—whose sentence, unlike most others, has no end date—is Ilham Tohti, an intellectual and economist, a prolific writer, and formerly the host of a website, Uyghur Online. In 2014, Tohti was arrested; accused of advocating separatism, violence, and the overthrow of the Chinese government; subjected to a two-day trial; and sentenced to life. Nothing has been heard from him since. Here are Tohti's own words, a collection of his plain-spoken calls for justice, scholarly explanations of the history of Xinjiang, and poignant personal reflections. While his courage and outspokenness about the plight of China's Muslim minorities is extraordinary, these essays sound a measured insistence on peace and just treatment for the Uyghurs. Winner of the PEN/Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought while imprisoned, this book is the only way to hear from a man who has been called 'a Uyghur Mandela.'"

Ilham Tohti (Author), David Lee Huynh (Narrator)

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Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow the World: What China's Crackdown Reveals About Its Plans to End Freedom E

"For 150 years as a British colony, Hong Kong was a beacon of prosperity where people, money, and technology flowed freely, and residents enjoyed many civil liberties. In preparation for handing the territory over to China in 1997, Deng Xiaoping promised that it would remain highly autonomous for fifty years. An international treaty established a Special Administrative Region (SAR) with a far freer political system than that of Communist China. But as the halfway mark of the SAR's lifespan approaches in 2022, it is clear that China has not kept its word. Universal suffrage and free elections have not been instituted, harassment and brutality have become normalized, and activists are being jailed en masse. This tragic backslide has dire worldwide implications. Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow the World tells the complete story of how a city once famed for protests so peaceful that toddlers joined grandparents became a place where police have fired tear gas, rubber bullets and even live ammunition at their neighbors, while pro-government hooligans attack demonstrators. A Hong Kong resident from 1992 to 2021, author Mark L. Clifford has witnessed this transformation firsthand. A powerful and dramatic mix of history and on-the-ground reporting, this book is the definitive account of one of the most important geopolitical standoffs of our time."

Mark L. Clifford (Author), Rick Adamson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Rise of the BJP: The Making of the World's Largest Political Party: The Making of the World's La

"The Bharatiya Janata Party is an idea that was seeded into the minds of nationalist Jana Sangh leaders when they began to envision India after Independence. Much like the very core the freedom struggle was built on, they saw India as a demographically, culturally and historically cohesive and unified nation - as Bharat.In this book, senior BJP leader and cabinet minister Bhupender Yadav and leading economist Ila Patnaik come together to trace the BJP's journey from its humble roots, through ups and downs and to eventually getting 303 seats in Lok Sabha in 2019 and becoming the world's largest political party. While focusing on the larger economics and political story, the book encapsulates many smaller, yet hugely significant stories of individuals and incidents, which brought the BJP to where it stands now.For the first time ever, The Rise of the BJP, tells us the inside story of how one of the most powerful political parties makes decisions, implements ideas and executes policy. Meticulously researched and immensely readable, the book shows us how the BJP fought competing ideologies, political assaults and catapulted to the centre stage of national politics."

Bhupendar Yadav, Ila Pattnaik (Author), Dipti Singh (Narrator)

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Revolutionaries: The Other Story of How India Won Its Freedom

"The history of India's struggle for freedom is usually told from the perspective of the non-violent movement. Yet, the story of armed resistance to colonial occupation is just as important. Names such as Vinayak Savarkar, Aurobindo Ghosh, Rashbehari Bose, Bagha Jatin, Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and Subhas Chandra Bose are still widely remembered. Their story is almost always presented as acts of individual heroism and not as part of a wider movement that had any overarching strategy or significant impact on the overall struggle for Independence. In reality, the revolutionaries were part of a large network that sustained armed resistance against the British Empire for half a century. They not only created a wide network inside India but also established nodes in Britain, France, Thailand, Germany, Persia, Russia, Italy, Ireland, the United States, Japan and Singapore. At various points, they received official support and recognition from the governments of some of these countries. Even the internal dynamics of the Indian National Congress of the time cannot be understood without the revolutionaries, who enjoyed widespread support within the organization. This was no small-scale movement of naive individual heroism but one that involved a large number of extraordinary young men and women who were connected in multiple ways to each other and to the evolving events of their times. Revolutionaries tells their story, one that is replete with swashbuckling adventure, intrigue, espionage, incredible bravery, diabolical treachery and shockingly unpredictable twists of fate."

Sanjeev Sanyal (Author), Adwait Karambelkar (Narrator)

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The Air Raids Over Japan during World War II: The History of the Allies’ Bombing Campaigns on the Ja

"The Americans would turn the war in the Pacific around in the middle of 1942, but in the wake of Pearl Harbor and the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, the country was in desperate need of a morale boost, and it would come in the form of the Doolittle Raid. In part to show that the Japanese were not invincible, and in part to reassure the American public that the nation would not lose the war, the Doolittle Raid included both Army and Navy units that launched 16 land-based medium bombers from an aircraft carrier, a feat that was the first of its kind but also one involving a great deal of risk. Getting the bombers and carriers in place to execute the mission involved much strategic planning and cooperation within the American military, and had it failed, it could have dealt a serious blow to the Americans’ Pacific presence due to the nation’s limited resources in that theater. The first serious air raids over Japan came in November 1944, after the Americans had captured the Marianas Islands, and through February 1945, American bombers concentrated on military targets at the fringes of the city, particularly air defenses. However, the air raids of March 1945, and particularly on the night of March 9, were a different story altogether. In what is generally referred to as strategic or area bombing, waves of bombers flew low over Tokyo for over two and a half hours, dropping incendiary bombs with the intention of producing a massive firestorm. The American raids intended to produce fires that would kill soldiers and civilians, as well as the munitions factories and apartment buildings of those who worked in them. 325 B-29s headed toward Tokyo, and nearly 300 of them dropped bombs on it. Additional raids, this time largely on the north and west, came in April, and in May, raids hit Ginza and the south. Altogether, American bombers flew more than 4,000 missions over Tokyo before surrender."

Charles River Editors (Author), Elias Anderson (Narrator)

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The Axis Powers’ Nuclear Weapons Programs: The History of Germany and Japan’s Efforts to Build an At

"The Manhattan Project would ultimately yield the “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” bombs that released more than 100 Terajoules of energy at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but as it turned out, the Axis were not far behind with their own nuclear weapons program. When the Nazis’ quest for a nuclear weapon began in earnest in 1939, no one really had a handle on how important nuclear weapons would prove to war and geopolitics. The attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, along with the Cold War-era tests and their accompanying mushroom clouds, would demonstrate the true power and terror of nuclear weapons, but in the late 1930s these bombs were only vaguely being thought through, particularly after the successful first experiment to split the atom by a German scientist. The nuclear age itself was in its infancy, barely 35 years old, but within a few short years the advent of nuclear war loomed over the world and the prospect of the enemy winning the nuclear race kept Allied leaders awake at night. In November 1921, roughly a year after the Treaty of Versailles came into effect, Japan, Britain, and the United States gathered to sign another treaty of disarmament at the Washington Naval Conference. However, Japan opted against renewing the pact in the mid-1930s, and around the same time, Germany openly breached the terms of the former treaty and began to restock their weapons. This gave rise to the birth of a new and unprecedented arms race, one that had catastrophically disastrous consequences about a decade later. Although their project is typically overlooked given the American use of the bombs and then the Soviets following suit early on in the Cold War, the Japanese avidly pursued nuclear weapons as well."

Charles River Editors (Author), Elias Anderson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Islamic Empires of India: The History of the Muslim Dynasties that Ruled India Before the Britis

"India has been the location of many different empires throughout its long history. The Indus Valley Civilization was home to one of the world’s first civilizations more than 5,000 years ago, and despite India’s tradition of cultural and political pluralism, several rulers attempted to place the entire Sub-Continent under the rule of one dynasty or government with a dominant religion. Most of these would-be rulers were far from successful, although a few came close, setting the template for later conquerors. The religion of Islam had entered India centuries earlier through merchants and missionaries, but, in the 10th century, warrior bands of Muslims began establishing themselves permanently in what is today Pakistan. From their permanent strongholds, these Muslim warriors of Turkish descent raided northern India, eventually capturing the city of Delhi and establishing what would become the Delhi Sultanate. The Delhi Sultanate was comprised of five dynasties that expanded their borders, and Islam, at sword point, but also through diplomacy and trade. The Delhi Sultanate became known as a state that welcomed the expertise of foreigners, no matter their religion, and promoted the welfare of its citizens through a host of social programs. Eventually, the Delhi Sultanate grafted ideas and inspiration from India’s pre-Islamic past with those of Islam to create a state that was quite unique and powerful. The Mughals, a group with Turkish and Mongolian roots, used gunpowder weapons to sweep into northern India, topple the existing Islamic dynasty in Delhi, and eventually subject most of India to their rule. The term “gunpowder empire” was originally coined by Russian scholar V. V. Bartold and popularized by American historians William McNeil and Marshall Hodgson in the mid-20th century to describe the Islamic Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires, which they claimed came to power through gunpowder."

Charles River Editors (Author), Michelle Humphries (Narrator)

Audiobook

Unbelievable True Facts From Across The Globe: A Clever Compendium of Incredible True Facts, Weird a

"Did you know a Cow-Bison hybrid is called a Beefalo? Did you know that a U.S. Navy ship defeated a Japanese submarine during World War II by hurling potatoes at it? Did you know that around 16 million direct descendants of Genghis Khan are alive today? Did you know that people once ate arsenic to improve their skin? Did you know that “Running Amok” is a medically recognized mental condition? ………………. Bored at work and dreaming of something fun and engaging to pass the time? Planning a vacation and looking for the ultimate travel trivia book or road trip reader? Want to crush your opponents at the next trivia games night? Or perhaps you are looking for the perfect gift book for mum, dad, kids, or a friend/family member of any age group? Whatever the reason, Unbelievable True Facts From Across The Globe has it all - and even more! Discover the reality behind those things you have always wondered about and learn crazy things you didn't know and won’t believe! Find incredible trivia and fun facts on a variety of topics you can whip out in any conversation and amaze and entertain your loved ones. Satisfy your curious mind and share the pleasure of reading this compilation of jaw-dropping facts and funny true stories for hours and hours with friends and family, leaving them so intrigued they will Google the information to separate fact from fiction. Unbelievable True Facts From Across The Globe is the most bewildering collection of unbelievable true stories and fascinating facts that will leave you astonished, baffled, and will change your perception of the world you live in."

Owen Janssen (Author), Val Cole (Narrator)

Audiobook

Asia Audiobooks in History